Twice he recovered from broken legs to resume his NFL career. There were aches and pains inherent to the job that weren’t so publicized. And then there was the emotional hurt, having never tasted a trip to the playoffs until last season, his ninth in a Buffalo Bills uniform.

But Eric Wood was so much more than a player who suited up 120 games, collected a check and went home.

He was a team leader in the truest sense, one of those “go-to’’ guys with character in the Kent Hull and Steve Tasker mold, the guy who faced the media not just in good times but in bad. And boy was there a lot of bad after he joined the club in 2009, a big, burly, friendly, always smiling guy with curly blond locks.

Wood’s retirement (not official until contract issues are resolved) due to a serious neck condition drew an outpouring of love and well wishes from teammates and coaches past and present, going back to his days at Elder High School in Cincinnati and the University of Louisville.

Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood addresses the media during a news conference announcing he has been diagnosed with a career ending neck injury.(Photo: Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP)

It drew a throng, including Wood’s family, members of the Eric Wood Foundation, media and club officials Monday to the ADPRO Sports Complex, where he said farewell, not officially, but a farewell just the same.

His news conference was delayed nearly an hour, lasted just 1 minute and 42 seconds, and he didn’t take questions, which is so unlike Eric Wood. But money is on the table and, well, no use muddying the waters fielding questions about that.

It should also be noted that Wood’s retirement has drawn more than $32,000 in donations to his foundation for the benefit of Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, fans donating in mostly $70 increments for his number. Going back to the Andy Dalton donation phenomenon, Bills fans have been opening their hearts and wallets for a month now.

Wood’s injury is mostly cumulative and degenerative, the product of years of snapping a football, neck cocked, then smashing into defensive tackles and linebackers. He did not suffer a catastrophic injury in a game. As many have expressed, we should be thrilled that he got to walk away from the game — literally.

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So, while there was an air of sadness inside the Bills’ massive indoor workout facility, there was a larger sense of happiness for a universally respected man and for a career well played. For in sports, as in life, we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.

“It’s hard for a lot of guys,’’ said Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who himself will face retirement soon. “This is something you’ve been going at since you were a little boy, at a high level, and it’s hard to walk away.’’

Wood played 100 percent of Buffalo’s offensive snaps last season. He was the man in the middle of the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attacks in 2015 and 2016. He was the anchor, the rock, a given.

Which explains the ashen look on coach Sean McDermott’s face. He didn’t expect to lose Eric Wood, but said so appropriately, “this goes beyond the game.’’

McDermott won't soon forget the look on Wood's face before the Bills playoff game in Jacksonville.

"You have memories that stay with you a long time and that will be one,'' he said. "When Eric came off the field from the coin toss and the look in his eyes that he was in a situation that he hadn't been in before and he was excited.''

His diagnosis came like a blitz, occurring just days after the Bills' first playoff game since Bill Clinton, and an hour before his wife gave birth to their second child, a son.

“As you can imagine, this news floored me,’’ Wood said.

Not much else could a floor a man that stands 6-4 and goes 311.

Eric Wood will no doubt miss football, a game he played so well. Like so many before him, he will miss the camaraderie, the sights and sounds of a packed stadium, the rush of adrenaline.

But this too is true: he’s a man of great faith and perspective who will extend gratitude for all he’s been given. Knowing there’s a guy at a factory who just got laid off and has mouths to feed who isn’t as fortunate as he.

Wood expressed hope that there’s a role on the Bills for him. An assistant coach? His work at the children’s hospital, for Bills Play60, for Teammates for Kids, for Make-A-Wish surely doesn’t have to end. He can still be a superhero.

“If you’ve ever been around Eric, he’s a guy myself, Kyle Williams, LeSean McCoy, the veteran leaders, we see him as someone we follow,’’ Alexander said. “He’s true to who he is. A Christian, a husband, a great athlete, accountable, gives back and it’s real. It’s not what he shows in front of the cameras, he’s that guy at home with his family. It’s just been great to be around a man like that.’’

Eric Wood played center but he never had to be the center of attention. For the Bills, replacing him will hardly be a snap.